Asuka's Mistake
by Crystalline Virtues
Summary: Asuka's got her first boyfriend, but Shinji's not too sure of him. Is he being overprotective? This may sound like a hopeless romantic fic, but believe me... it's not. Oneshot.


EDIT: People have said that a character having an American name is a problem, so I have changed his name from Luke to Hachiro (random, I know). So, I am sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, and can only pray you guys will keep reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion. So please don't sue me. Not that you'd get anything off of me anyway…

Anyway, this idea I came up with while watching T.V. Of course, I thought someone might have already posted a story with this idea, but I couldn't find it so… shrugs

Enjoy

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Shinji sighed as Misato leaned against the kitchen wall, impatiently tapping her foot on the ground, constantly watching the small kitchen clock above a newly cleaned stove (courtesy of Shinji). He really didn't want to be here when Asuka got home. Why was Misato forcing him to stay…?

The atmosphere in the room was undesirable—a mixture of anger, resentment, uneasiness, and awkward silence. Misato had sunk into a foul mood, and Shinji wondered once more as to whether or not she was over reacting slightly to this situation. After all, this kind of stuff had happened before. The naive Third Child certainly didn't see what all the fuss was about.

Then Pen-Pen gave a squawk and hurried off to his little room as the sound of the footsteps that Shinji knew to be Asuka's rang across the apartment complex. He desperately wished he could get off as easily as Pen-Pen. Shinji knew, he just _knew_ that Asuka would somehow blame him for what was going to happen.

Then, the door opened, and Asuka strode in, radiating self confidence as she strode in, her backpack hanging off one shoulder. She stopped abruptly as she saw that Misato was glaring at her.

"What?" snapped Asuka, feeling her good mood evaporate instantly as Misato continued glaring at her. What was her problem? And why was that spineless baka looking so wretched?

Shinji pushed himself further into the back of the couch and miserably wished he was invisible. Or an ant.

"Where have you been?" said Misato, a definite edge in her voice. It was low and menacing.

"Out," said Asuka indifferently, matching Misato's glare with one of her own. "What's it to you?"

"What's it to me?" Misato echoed. "Nothing at all… except that I am your guardian and should know when you're going out with a high schooler. Especially one in a band."

Oh boy, thought Shinji as Asuka's face steadily grew red, and her eyes became hard. We are in for some deep sh—

"Who told you?" said Asuka as she whirled around and faced Shinji, her eyes flashing with anger, heat radiating from her body. How that purple haired slut had found out she was dating a high school senior was beyond her, unless she had interrogated Hikari's sister. Or the baka had seen her with him…

Shinji grew pale and pressed himself even further back into the couch. I want Misato to have my S-dat, thought Shinji wildly as he mentally listed his will. And for Kaji to feed Pen-Pen when I'm gone and for Dr. Akagi to slap my fath—

"Was it the baka?" Asuka said menacingly.

"No," growled Misato. "Hikari found out from her older sister and was worried, so she told me. She wasn't very happy that you didn't tell her yourself."

Asuka turned back to Misato—Shinji breathed in relief—and drew herself to her full height. Admittedly, it wasn't much, but the aura of fury she gave off was. "So what if I'm going out with a high schooler? He's a good guy and—"

"Are you aware," said Misato impatiently, reining her temper in with the utmost effort," that since you are a pilot, many boys would be happy to father your children?"

Asuka colored, her face matching the shade of her hair. If the situation hadn't been so dangerous, Shinji may have laughed out loud. As it was, he was still trying to become invisible.

"He's not like that. He wouldn't do that to me and—"

"And even if he wasn't in it for that," Misato cut in angrily," he could be dating you just for the prestige that comes with it!" She had thought the Second Child to be brilliant—immature perhaps, but brilliant. Or at least sensible enough to see that a high school boy wouldn't pay attention to her unless she was a pilot. Well, she was certainly showing her immature side.

"What do you know?!" Asuka shouted. How had such a good day become so bad? "You haven't even met him, you know that?!"

Misato's face was slowly growing redder. It took all her patience to stop herself from slapping Asuka silly. Okay… What she had to do was… count to ten. Just stop, breath… and count to… ten.

"You're right," said Misato, forcedly calm, after what might have been interpreted as ten seconds. "I don't know him. So—why don't you invite him over for dinner?"

"With you?!" said Asuka incredously, horrified at the very thought. "D'you really think I'd let him meet you, and the wimp and a genetically engineered penguin?!"

"It's either you invite him for dinner or you don't see him anymore," said Misato, her face cloudy.

"Who's gonna make me?" said Asuka defiantly, lifting her chin.

"I'll strip you of your pilot status."

"You wouldn't!" It was obvious by Asuka's tone of voice that this threat seemed way below the belt to her. It did to Shinji too. If she didn't pilot, it would be just him and Rei against the Angels…

"You wanna try me?" Misato said, allowing herself a slight smirk. She had backed the Second Child into a corner and she knew it. Oho ho ho… How she derived such pleasure from this…

There was an awkward silence. Shinji felt it weigh heavily on him, and for a moment he imagined that he was suffocating. Then—

"Shinji's coking then," Asuka muttered, before storming into her bedroom.

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Shinji smoothed his hair uncertainly as he slowly stirred the curry that he was cooking. Today was the day that Asuka's… boyfriend came for dinner.

It felt odd thinking of Asuka having a boyfriend. Sure, Shinji knew that when Asuka had first come to school, boys had been all over her, asking for dates, relationships, and swearing undying love to her. But he had already figured out by then that she wasn't so shallow that she would go out with a boy she didn't know. Besides, she had been enamored with Kaji then.

And now… she had a boyfriend? And a high school one too. Shinji felt himself wonder at that—sure, Asuka was outgoing, but he rather doubted a high school boy would pay much attention to her unless, as Misato said, they wanted the prestige that came with dating a pilot. And he ferverently hoped it wasn't that. If it was, she would be in such a bad mood… and she would be so crushed… not to mention she would take out all her anger on him…

Ding-dong!

"That's him!" said Asuka fearfully. She was dressed in what anyone but Misato would have called 'skimpy clothes'. Shinji felt the beginnings of a nosebleed coming on as he lowered the heat on the stove. Not good.

"Get out here Shinji, and say hello," called Misato as she walked out of her bedroom. She looked quite professional—she was dressed in her NERV uniform. Shinji could only guess that it was to intimidate the boy. Misato seemed to hate the idea of Asuka having a boyfriend, and a high school one at that.

"Take your apron off baka!" hissed Asuka as she hurried to the door. "And what the hell are you wearing Misa--?" She broke off as she opened the door, revealing a slender boy with fine blond hair standing at the door. "Hey Hachiro!"

Shinji hurried out of the kitchen, having discarded his apron, along with Misato, who had strode to the door and given Hachiro a stiff and formal greeting.

"Hachiro," said Asuka, giving Misato a glare," this is Misato Katsuragi, my guardian, and this is Shinji Ikari. He's also under Misato's care."

Muttering a hello, Shinji looked the boy over. He was really very handsome. He was slender, with blonde hair that fell down in layers over sharp angles that made up his face, and his eyes were a light brown. He was wearing a white dress shirt and a pair of immaculate jeans.

"Hey," said Hachiro, stepping into the house with an air of extreme ease, as though he didn't notice Misato standing stiffly next to the door—didn't notice, or didn't care.

Asuka looked uneasily at Misato, a spark of anger in her eyes, and said," Why… don't we all start eating? Shinji made dinner—he's not a bad cook."

That was as close to a compliment that Shinji had ever gotten from Asuka.

"Cooking, huh?" said Hachiro to Shinji as they settled down in the dining room, sitting down next to Asuka.

"Yeah," muttered Shinji as he went into the kitchen to get his curry and rice. The table was already set.

When he came out, bearing an extremely hot pan of hot curry and another of steaming purple rice, he found Misato giving Hachiro the third degree.

"So, have you ever been in jail?" asked Misato bluntly as Shinji set down the pans, sweat-dropping. Boy, was Misato tactless…

"Uhh…. Jail?" said Hachiro uncertainly as Misato looked at him expectantly. "Well… I… that is…"

"How about we just eat?" said Asuka loudly, kicking at Misato under the table. She got Shinji instead. Not that she particularly cared. "Would you like some curry Luke?"

"Yeah," said the blonde boy, eager to change the topic. "This looks good… you made it Shinji?"

"Yeah," mumbled Shinji as he spooned rice onto his plate.

"So… about my question," Misato butted in forcefully, raising an eyebrow at Hachiro," have you…?"

"No," said Hachiro, somewhat more firmly. This may have been because Asuka had grabbed his hand from under the table and had given it a slight squeeze. "I've never been in jail."

"Really…?" said Misato, taking the pan of rice Shinji gave her. "Have you ever…?"

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By the time Hachiro left, looking slightly concerned at the questions Misato had been asking him, Asuka was red in the face with embarrassment. The baka had mumbled whenever Hachiro tried to strike up a conversation with him, and Misato had given him the goddam third degree.

"Bye Hachiro!" said Asuka as she closed the door behind the high school boy. "See you tomorrow!"

She shut the door, and Shinji began to feel an itch along the back of his neck. His sixth sense had just kicked in—the one that told him doom was coming in the angry form of a red haired Evangelion pilot. He readied himself for the explosion that was sure to come—meaning that he pressed himself as hard as he could against the back of the couch, wishing he was invisible.

"BAKA!" Asuka roared, striding towards him and grabbing him by the neck of his shirt, hauling him roughly off the couch, which rose slightly. "What the hell is wrong with you!? Huh? You can't even talk to my boyfriend?! What's with all this mumbling?! Huh? HUH?!"

"Let him go," said Misato as she shrugged off her NERV jacket and went to the fridge. She opened it, and Shinji saw over Asuka's shoulder that frozen mist drifted lazily from it.

Asuka abruptly let go of Shinji's collar, causing him to fall down onto the couch, which gave a slight groan of protest. The brown haired boy massaged his neck, watching Asuka stride towards Misato. Good Lord, thought Shinji, sweat dropping. I hope she doesn't slap Misato… I really don't want to stop a cat fight…

"You!" screamed Asuka, her face red. "YOU! What was with giving him the third degree, eh? Did you really have to ask him if he got--?!"

"I was assessing him," said Misato calmly, taking a beer out of the fridge. It chilled her hand, and drops of rapidly melting ice began to run down her hand. "Anyway, he passed."

"Assessing him?!" shrieked Asuka. "ASSESSING HI—wait, what?"

"I said he passed." Misato took a swig of her beer and grinned happily as she felt it slide down her throat. "Ahhh…"

"He… passed?" Asuka said, looking confused. Shinji couldn't understand why. Then, she suddenly turned on her heel and stormed into her room.

"Why's she mad?" asked Shinji as he rubbed his neck, confused. "He's still her boyfriend, right?"

Misato chuckled and waved her hand at the boy, then broke into a fit of giggling. Shinji noted that she had already drunk half her beer and decided to retire for the night, as confused as ever.

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The next week was fairly quiet, except that now the whole school was buzzing with the news that Asuka was dating a high school boy. Apparently, someone had overheard Hikari talking to Asuka about it, and the rumors had spread like wild fire, from mouth to mouth, from note to note.

Fortunately for Asuka, Toji had gone on a fishing trip with his father for the week, so she didn't have to bear any additional muttering behind her back. To tell the truth though, Shinji suspected Asuka might have been enjoying the attention. Her face always glowed at the mention of Hachiro, and there was a sparkle in her eyes whenever she reprimanded anyone for muttering about her within earshot of the fiery red head.

Then, on Thursday, Kensuke came into class, making straight for Shinji, who was listening to his S-dat, idly looking at Rei, Asuka, or staring out the window.

Of course, this wasn't in anyway unusual. Neither of them were very popular—Kensuke was a known pervert, liked camera's, and played online games most of the time. Shinji, despite being a pilot, was not popular because he was socially inept—he didn't seem to respond to anyone who made friendly advances towards him, and when he did, he was awkward.

"Hey Shinji," said Kensuke, leaning against Shinji's desk and looking down at him. "Isn't that Hachiro guy going out with Asuka?"

"Yeah," muttered Shinji, turning off his S-dat and looking up at Kensuke. To tell the truth, he was getting tired of hearing about Asuka and Hachiro.

"And don't people who are dating only kiss their boyfriend or girlfriend?" said Kensuke, a slight furrow in his freckled brow. "Not other people, right?"

"Yeah," said Shinji, bewildered. Kensuke already knew all of this—why was he asking him? "Why?"

"Well," said Kensuke, scratching his head, looking puzzled, "I saw Hachiro at the drug store down the street and he was making out with a blonde girl." 

"What?" said Shinji, sure that he had heard incorrectly. No one cheated on Asuka. No one. "He was what?"

"Making out with another girl," said Kensuke. "I think he's cheating on her."

Any other person would have said 'duh', or at least slapped Kensuke on the back of the head for being so dense, but not Shinji. He could be as dense as Kensuke at times. "He's cheating on her?"

"Apparently." Kensuke nodded.

"What should we do?" asked Shinji quickly, no doubt at all in his mind that he had to do something, although the answer seemed clear to him. He wanted to see if there were any other options though—anything except what he was thinking.

"Well," said Kensuke, rolling his eyes," we can do what I want to, and just leave them alone."

"No," said Shinji instantly. "I can't let anyone cheat on Asuka!" Jeez… now he sounded like some cheap romance novel.

Kensuke snorted. Apparently he thought so to. "We could wait for Toji to get back from his fishing trip and have him beat up on Hachiro."

"That'll take too long!"

"Or we can take get some footage of him."

"That it?"

"Yep."

Shinji swallowed, hard. That last reason had been the one on his mind—it was something he really, _really_ didn't want to do. Hachiro probably had all sorts of high school buddies who could beat him and Kensuke up in a trice if they ever found out that the boys were plotting Hachiro's downfall.

"Alright then… I guess we'll have to get the footage."

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Shinji hurriedly checked his watch, then looked around Misato's apartment. It was 3:45. Asuka would normally have been home already, but ever since she had gotten a… boyfriend, she had been hanging out with him after school.

In a little more than a day, the otaku and the pilot had devised a plan to prove to Asuka that Hachiro was cheating on her. They both knew that without proof, she would never believe them, as enamored as she was with Hachiro. And even if they succeeded, Shinji still worried for Asuka. She would surely be crushed.

Kensuke had spent a while hanging around the drug store, waiting with his trusty camera for Hachiro and the girl to come by and meet each other again, and when they had, hours had passed by. They had been the most boring hours of his life, and in his mind, Shinji owed him big time. And he didn't mean just a little ice cream cone or a candy bar—he meant video game big time.

"Where is she?" Kensuke asked impatiently. "I mean, I've been here fifteen minutes already. I could be playing World of Evacraft!"

Shinji sighed and pointed at his watch. "She should be home on a few minutes—Misato said if she stayed with him past four she'd strip her of her pilot status."

Kensuke chuckled and popped out the video in his camera, twirling it nervously around his fingers. "Bet she loved that."

Shinji shook his head, sweat dropping at the memory of what had happened next. "I've never seen such a cat fight."

Kensuke sniggered, then stopped suddenly as there was the sound of bold footsteps. They seemed to resonate within his ears. "Here she comes…"

"Yeah. Give me the tape," said Shinji. He wondered idly if he would still be able to stand in a few days. After all, Hachiro would most certainly be angry if Asuka broke up with him, and he was bound to find out who had ratted on him—he could beat both of them up.

Kensuke leaned over and handed Shinji the tape as Asuka burst in, all smiles—or at least she was until she saw Kensuke.

"What's another stooge doing here?" she asked Shinji irritably, throwing her backpack onto Kensuke, who grunted—it was filled with books. "I get enough of you at school!"

Kensuke pushed the backpack of his lap, angrily. "Shinji's got something to show you."

Asuka snorted and, picking up her backpack, made her way to her room. "Whatever."

"Asuka," said Shinji quietly," I do have something to show you."

"I don't want to see it baka," said Asuka.

"But—but you've gotta see it!" said Shinji desperately. He couldn't, for some reason, bear the thought of Asuka being cheated on. "I'm serious! It's really important…"

"C'mon Asuka," said Kensuke. "Don't be a bit—" he stopped as he realized what he was on the verge of saying.

Asuka sighed and threw her bag into her room, turning around—she knew that she wouldn't get any peace until he showed whatever the hell he had to her. With Kensuke there, the matter would not be dropped. And she was in a good mood—she'd humor the stooges. "Make it quick stooge."

Shinji flushed gratefully, and hurried to the T.V., popping the tape into the old VCR Misato owned. "Thanks Asuka—it won't take more than a minute."

"Mmm." Asuka dropped down onto the couch, pushing Kensuke away from her. "Get away nerd."

Glaring, all the while wondering why the hell he had spent a good couple of hours trying to save her worthless ass from a boy who didn't really like her, Kensuke moved onto the arms of the couch, leaning back and crossing his arms. "Bitch…"

"What?!"

Oh damn, thought Kensuke frantically. I really oughta start thinking about writing a will… Dammit Shinji, put the freakin' tape on!

"Err… I said… eh…" Kensuke was spared the agony of thinking up a suitable excuse as Shinji turned on the T.V. and said," Ready." He came to join them on the couch, sitting between Kensuke and Asuka, for which the military otaku was immensely grateful.

There was a slight pause as Shinji pressed the red play button on the VCR remote, and then the film began running.

Hachiro, as handsome as ever, was waiting outside the drugstore, constantly checking the silver watch on his tanned wrist. He seemed to be waiting for something.

"What the hell is this baka?" Asuka growled as she recognized her boyfriend. "Why are you filming my boy… friend…" Her voice trailed off as a pretty, blonde girl Hachiro's age, approached the boy. Grinning, the high school player leaned over and kissed her on her lips as she stopped in front of him. Then, he grabbed her hand and playfully led her to a vacant lot behind the drug store, and the frame shook as Kensuke followed them, trying his best to seem invisible.

Shinji glanced at Asuka, and felt his heart throb. The girl was staring hungrily at the television screen, her eyes hard and wide. Then, as Hachiro pulled the girl into a deep kiss in the back of the lot, Asuka found her voice and said hoarsely," Turn it off."

"What? You sure you don't want to--?"

"Turn the damn thing off!"

"Yes ma'am!" stuttered Kensuke as he hastily took the remote out of Shinji's cold hand and clicked the small stop button. Immediately, he felt ashamed—he had let himself be bossed around so easily by a girl…! But then, the next second, his emotions changed as he looked at the girl, who was still staring at the screen. Right then—right then, all he felt was pure fear.

Her eyes were blazing—hard, angry balls of rage that seemed to radiate and fill the room. Her fist clenched and unclenched; unconciously, Kensuke noticed, and he wished he wasn't there. In fact, he really, REALLY wished he wasn't there. But any sudden movements, and she might blow her top…

"Shinji," she said quietly, in a voice that held all the power of hell in it—in short, all the power of an angry woman," when did you film this?"

Shinji gulped involuntarily, and sweat dropped. The girl scared him, she really did. Never had he seen her so angry, and if experience was anything to go by, she would take it out on the people nearest her, him and Kensuke. But he also felt pity for her, something he rarely felt for anyone but himself, and he forced himself to answer in only a slightly trembling voice.

"Yesterday."

"I see." Asuka was quiet for a moment, and Shinji suddenly realized with a jolt that he liked it better when she expressed her anger, loudly and as boisterous as possible. At least then he knew she would get over it after she had vented.

Asuka stood up and for a moment surveyed the television set, before turning on her heel and padding to her room. Then, suddenly…

BANG!

She had slammed the door to her room. The door abruptly flew open, revealing her standing in front of the door, one hand still held out as though she was still holding the door, ready to close it. Her face was red and blazing, and she angrily stepped out of the room, yelling fiercely at Shinji.

"CLOSE THIS GODDAM DOOR!" She stormed off towards the door.

"W—wait Asuka, where are you going--?"

"Out," said Asuka shortly, and a little too calmly. Then, suddenly, she yelled," AND CLOSE THE GODDAM DOOR!" Then she had strode out of the apartment, leaving a feeling of uncertainty in her wake, slamming the door behind her as loudly as she could. Kensuke felt his ears ring with the slam it had made.

The curly haired boy stared at the door for a moment before turning back to Shinji. "Sheesh, has that girl got a—what the hell are you doing?!"

Shinji had gotten up to close Asuka's bedroom door.

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Monday—the whole school was once again buzzing with news of Asuka and Hachiro. But this time it wasn't good in any way. Rumors abounded. Asuka had broke up with Hachiro—Hachiro had been cheating on her—She was going out with Shinji Ikari—Shinji had spotted Hachiro kissing a girl and told Asuka--Hachiro had come to the high school with a black eye. This last rumor Shinji knew to be true. He had seen Hachiro, near the drug store on one of his little outings, and Hachiro had been sporting a brilliantly black eye, moaning to a dark haired boy next to him about how Asuka could punch as well as a man.

Shinji had felt a certain rush of satisfaction at this, no matter how fleeting. Asuka had scared him in the apartment. Her quietness had made her less predictable, and he wasn't sure whether she could have taken the news he had presented her—Hachiro was, after all, her first boyfriend, and anyone could tell she had liked him; a lot.

Then, when she had responded with such an outburst of anger, angry to the point of boiling over at little thing such as the bedroom door slamming open whenever she tried to slam it _close_, Shinji had felt relieved. Anger, open anger, was Asuka's way. Shinji was familiar with it, and although he didn't like being subjected to her anger, he felt an odd sense of comfort in knowing that she hadn't changed—that she had gotten over it.

Although, Shinji mused as he watched Asuka chatting animatedly to Hikari, piloting Evangelion did make one tougher than most—either that or it weakened one to the point of insanity. As it happened, Asuka was on the first side, and he admired her for it. He, most certainly, belonged to the second side.

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Tuesday—Shinji was walking home from school, alone. Kensuke lived the opposite way he did, and Toji still hadn't come back from his fishing trip, although he was due back yesterday. Shinji could only suppose it was a train delay.

Asuka was walking with Hikari most likely by now, on her way to the brown haired girl's house where they would likely do things a lot of girls did—talk about clothes, boys, and many other things that Shinji would never understand.

Then, he was suddenly brought short as he walked into something solid. Cursing his unawareness, he looked up, readying himself to start firing off a round of apologies except… except that he was looking into the face of a grinning Hachiro.

"H—Hachiro," said Shinji, sweat dropping as he hastily took a step back. Hachiro was shadowed by two other boys, one the dark haired boy Shinji had seen earlier, the other a boy with bleached blonde hair that stuck up in spikes. Both seemed Hachiro's own age.

"Hiya Shinji," said Hachiro, his voice fakely warm. "I heard that you told Asuka about me and Valorie."

"Valorie?" squeaked Shinji as he quickly looked around. The street was empty, no one within sight except for them. He felt the beginning of panic.

"My high school girlfriend, from America," said the handsome boy, taking a step forward. "I can't say I appreciated what you did. So I've come to settle the score. You did something I didn't like—now I'm going to do something you won't like." And then, suddenly, the fake warmth was gone from his voice, and Shinji saw him for what he really was—a gifted actor with the body of a movie star.

"I—I don't think… I really don't think—I don't think you need to do anything." Shinji trembled, and now he really felt panic—it was blossoming in his chest, running rampant through his veins. It froze his legs, preventing him from running, and it paralyzed his lungs, preventing him from calling out for help.

"Well I do," said Hachiro, advancing on him, his voice softly menacing.

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Shinji sobbed dryly as he rummaged through Misato's bathroom cabinet, desperately searching for her first-aid kit. As his hands seized upon the white box, he gave a sigh and, stumbling into the living room, he threw himself on the couch, wincing.

He was a real mess. Hachiro and his friends had messed him up—they had messed him up real good. There was a cut below his right eye and his lip was cut as well, from the knuckles of one of the boys, he wasn't sure who. It had all happened too fast.

He had a few good bruises on his arms, and he felt sure that if he checked, he'd find some along his rib cage. His eye felt swollen and it most likely was. None of the boys had been gentle when they had started in on him.

Groaning loudly, he opened the first-aid kit, examining the contents inside. None of the stuff looked touched—he guessed dryly that Misato didn't get into many fights.

And then, he heard it suddenly. The loud, confident footsteps that rang in his ears as they approached Misato's flat, marking the arrival of the Second Child.

Abruptly, Shinji was seized by panic. He was a bloody mess—what would he do? If he let Asuka see him like this, it would lead to awkward questions and—Shinji stood up quickly, determined to hide before she found him, then fell back wincing at the strain put on his aching legs.

He quietly resigned himself to his fate and lay down on the couch.

He closed his eyes as he heard the front door opening, and then, the voice of Asuka fell upon his ears, yelling," Baka, make—what the hell happened to you?!"

She had found him.

"Asuka," he began weakly, opening his eyes, and was greeted by the stunning sight of a red headed beauty. "It's nothing, really…"

"I said, what the hell happened?" Asuka said arrogantly, her eyes flashing. "You get mugged or something?"

"Hachiro found out that—"

Asuka abruptly cut him off. "Hachiro did this to you? I am going to fucking KILL him!"

"No, Asuka, wait—" Shinji started, suddenly nervous, not wanting to cause any more trouble, but too late—she was already gone.

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An hour, five minutes, and thirty seconds later—not that Shinji was counting mind you—Asuka came back, much more calm and composed than she had been when she left. Meaning that she wasn't spouting obscenities.

Shinji didn't say anything as she hauled her backpack into the kitchen and began to work on her homework at the kitchen table. He had been watching T.V. ever since she had gone, not moving from the couch where he lay, worrying about what Asuka may have been doing. And now that she was back, he wasn't so sure he wanted to know.

There was an uncomfortable silence as they both stayed focused to their tasks—meaning that Shinji stared blankly at a soap opera on the T.V. screen, and Asuka continued to work on her homework. Then, suddenly—

"I knew you were a wimp dumfkoff. When I saw Hachiro, he didn't have a single freaking scratch on him. Didn't you at least fight back when he jumped you?" Shinji sighed as her voice rent the still air. He should have known she wouldn't stay quiet.

"I'm sorry," said Shinji as contritely as he could. "It's just—"

"And stop saying sorry all the time!" Asuka interjected loudly. "You say it so much, it's like you don't even mean it!"

"Sorry, I—"

"And there you go again!" said Asuka angrily. "Jeez, you give me such a goddam headache… Dumb ass… I don't wanna do this anymore…" she stuffed her homework into her backpack, and stood up, still glaring at Shinji, who tried to make himself invisible. As usual, it didn't work.

"I'm taking a shower." She strode across the room, behind the couch Shinji was sitting on.

Shinji breathed a sigh of relief as she made towards the bathroom, which instantly caught in his throat as he heard Asuka stop behind the couch—right behind him.

What did I do now? The poor boy thought frantically. Oh, I know she's going to hit me… But… no, I can't turn around! She'll just get madder if I look at her!

Then, his thoughts were stopped abruptly as Asuka leaned down over him, her mouth nearly touching his ear, tickling the inside of it as she expelled air softly. He shivered slightly—it was not something he was used to, and yet it sent pleasant shudders up and down his spine.

"Thank you," she breathed into his ear.

The End

Omake:

"Well?" said Misato, staring at the two Section Two agents in front of her, who, as formidable as they were, shuffled their feet nervously. "A pilot was hurt today. Where were you while he was being beaten up?"

Misato had found Shinji. And then she had called the two Section Two agents in charge of him to a small room, bare except for a clock above the doorway.

The two agents looked at each other. They were both dressed in black—black T-shirt, black pants, black coats, black shades. It was easier to blend into the many shadows in the city wearing black. But they're builds were as unalike as possible—one was thin, almost scrawny, and the other was muscular, tough looking.

The reason for this was that while security was usually needed only for physical maintenance, Gendo Ikari had also thought intelligence of importance as well. So, Section Two agent's had been grouped into pairs, and sent as bodyguards for the pilots. They both carried guns, and they were qualified to shoot them as well. But the thinner of the pair was a tactical genius, although no where near Misato's level. He spent much of his time doing math questions to keep his brain in top condition, or studying military tactics, contributing to his small, weedy appearance—he spent his time inside.

The other was no where near the smaller one's intelligence. He possessed the intelligence of an average man, his IQ nothing special. But he could really put the pain on anyone, and he did too. He knew all the vulnerable parts of a human body, and he was quick enough, as well as strong enough to use his knowledge in a fight. He was also a superstitious freak. Or so his partner thought—not that he'd ever say that.

"Major," said the weedier of the two as calmly as he could as he looked at the woman, whose level of intelligence he aspired to," there is no excuse for the fact that we failed in our duty. We will accept our punishment."

Misato sighed as she checked the wooden clock above the doorway. These Section Two agents were all so full of crap. They insisted on taking punishment whenever they did something the least bit wrong, and didn't answer her questions until she had asked a second time. Stupid flunkies.

"I never said you would be excused. I said, where were you when Shinji Ikari was being jumped."

The weedy man felt his eye twitch slightly at the thought of what had happened that had prevented them from helping their young charge. It had been so unprofessional—bordering along the lines of pathetic. No, strike that. It wasn't bordering along the lines of pathetic—it _was_ pathetic. They would lose their jobs for this little screw up.

"Major," the agent began," my partner here is from Rome, and as such he is a… very superstitious man…"

How the hell did we get a Roman in Japan? Wondered Misato, but she nodded towards the men. "Go on."

"These last few days… we've been seeing various things that he interpreted as bad luck."

"Such as?" Misato thought she saw where this was going, and she felt a faint twinge of annoyance. She had never been one for silly superstitions.

"I walked under a ladder, to spite him," said the agent, lowering his voice a little. The burly agent next to him set his jaw. "Then, today a black cat walked in front of us. After that I spilled salt during lunch, and my partner saw three butterflies together, and claimed to see a five leaf clover. Then, Ikari walked past a flower shop on his way to school, and we saw red and white flowers bunched together. He was keeping one eye on Ikari, and the other on the flowers, and didn't notice a man carrying a box. He walked into the man, who pushed the box into his arms, and he promptly dropped it—on accident. As it turned out, there were thirteen mirrors in there, all of them shattered." 

"I see," murmured Misato, wishing she could get out of there. She was having a hard time holding in the laughter that bubbled inside her. To think that so many things that could give you bad luck could happen to two men in one day! Especially to a superstitious Roman… dear god, she had to get out of here…

"By the time Ikari was walking home, my partner was frantic with worry." The burly agent set his jaw even more—he looked like he had an under-bite. "So he left me to go home and get his… rabbit's foot."

There was an awkward silence. Both of the agents noticed the look on Misato's face, she couldn't hide it anymore. It was a cross between anger at the man for leaving his post, and hilarious amusement at the men's plight.

"I couldn't stop him, as he could very well have killed me," the man went on valiantly, but it was an effort—he was so embarrassed he wanted to die. He could only imagine how his partner felt. "And while he was gone, Ikari was jumped by three boys who came from the high school. At first, I believed they merely meant to knock him around a little, and didn't judge it dangerous enough for me to interfere with, but when they all jumped him at once, I started for them. However, just as I was coming from behind the building I was behind, Ikari threw a rock he had picked up, and threw it at one of the boys. It went awry, and hit me in the temple, knocking me out. My partner found me a few minutes later."

Misato felt her ribs cracking, she had to laugh so badly. Of course, she felt anger still—but it was still vastly overcome by the irony of the situation. In the end, it was Shinji's fault he had been jumped. Good thing he wasn't hurt too badly. "Is that it?"

"Yes Major."

"Understood. Dismissed. You'll be informed of your punishment in a day. Until then, you both are on kitchen duty. Report to Mr. Ko." Mr. Ko was the main cook in the NERV kitchens. Working under him was hell, and Misato should know—she had been ordered to serve under him in her earlier years in NERV. She still felt horror at the things she had to wash off the NERV plates.

They both bowed, exiting through the door. And then, only then, did Misato succumb to the ultimate temptation—she burst out laughing. Of course, the situation might have been dangerous, and it certainly was stupid as hell, it was still one of the goddam funniest things she had ever heard.

It only proves that the NERV personnel needed a bit more fun in their lives.

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Gossip ran through the school often and quickly, like wildfire. Asuka and Shinji had feelings for each other, their classmates whispered.

All it took was Hikari and Asuka.

Asuka had told Hikari at school about what Shinji had done for her, and that she had said thank you to the boy. And then she had sworn that their friendship was over if the brown haired girl ever told a living soul. Ever.

Or so the classmate who had been eavesdropping on them said.

Sometimes Shinji wondered if there might be a bit of truth in these rumors.

The End

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Well, there you go That's the end of this little story. It was originally meant as a one shot, but then I made the Section Two Excuse thing into an omake to explain why the Section Two agents didn't protect Shinji. In my mind. And then I realized I should just combine that chapter with this one, since I'm never going to make more story to it. So here we are.

And no offense to anyone Roman. I know not all of them are superstitious, but it was the best I could think of

Please review! I'll try to reply to each and every one


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